Systems and methods for detecting unattended lifeforms in enclosed spaces

ABSTRACT

A system for determining whether an unattended animal is left in an enclosed space is provided. The system includes a sensor provided within the enclosed space that is configured to generate temperature data and humidity data associated with an interior of the enclosed space and generate physiological data associated with the unattended animal. The system includes a control system that (a) determines, based on the temperature data and the humidity data, whether the interior of the enclosed space is unsafe for the unattended animal, (b) determines, based on the physiological data, whether the unattended animal is within the interior of the enclosed space, and (c) based on the interior of the enclosed space being unsafe for the unattended animal, starts a countdown timer when the physiological data indicates a presence of the unattended animal within the interior of the enclosed space.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/953,792, filed Nov. 20, 2020, granted as U.S. Pat. No. 11,197,464,and which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/938,792, filed Nov. 21, 2019, both of which arehereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to detecting unattended lifeforms in anenclosed space, and more specifically, to systems and methods fordetermining whether an animal has been left unattended in an enclosedspace.

BACKGROUND

Small children, infants, pets, the elderly, etc., can be put at riskwhen left unattended in a vehicle. Several occurrences of this sort haveresulted in loss of life or bystanders damaging the vehicle to rescuethe at-risk individual. Furthermore, depending on injuries suffered bythe at-risk individual, caretakers can be subject to consequences doledout by the criminal justice system. Although at times, at-riskindividuals left unattended in a vehicle come away without harm, havingany number of the unlucky ones that are harmed is unacceptable.

A being left in an unattended vehicle can encounter multiple risks dueto several factors. Laura Geggel, “How Long Does It Take a Parked Car toReach Deadly Hot Temperatures?” published in LIVESCIENCE on May 24,2018, indicates that car dashboards can reach 118 degrees Fahrenheit ona hot day. According to Geggel, any being left in such an environment isintroducing humidity into the environment by breathing. And as humidityincreases, the being cannot cool down by sweating because sweat will notevaporate as quickly.

Beings left unattended are put at risk in one of many ways. Sometimes aparent goes into a store intending a quick stop at the store while herchild is left unattended in the car. Humans can be bad at estimating howmuch time has passed, and this confusion to how long the child is leftin the car can become dangerous for the child. Humans can also getdistracted, thus the caregiver can forget that the stop in the store wasintended to be a quick one. Sometimes the caregiver forgets the child inthe car, maybe because the child was asleep in the back seat. Thecaregiver may be unaware then that she has left the child in the car.Children can get trapped in a car while playing, for example, a childplaying hide and seek can choose the car as a hiding spot and may becometrapped in the car. The present disclosure provides systems and methodsfor determining when a child or another at-risk individual is leftunattended in an enclosed space (e.g., a vehicle). The presentdisclosure also provides systems and methods of alerting interestedparties such that misfortune does not befall the child or at-riskindividual.

SUMMARY

Contrary to the hypothesis posed by Geggel, the inventor has discovereda surprising result that the humidity actually decreases, not increases,as the temperature inside a closed vehicle rises when a breathingoccupant is present inside the vehicle. Measurements taken from actualvehicles show that the humidity decreases, and by monitoring thisdecrease in humidity, a system can detect the presence of a livingoccupant inside the vehicle and raise an alarm.

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a systemfor determining whether an unattended animal is left in an enclosedspace is provided. The system includes a sensor provided within theenclosed space. The sensor is configured to: generate temperature dataand humidity data associated with an interior of the enclosed space, andgenerate physiological data associated with the unattended animal. Thesystem further includes a memory and a control system. The memory storesmachine-readable instructions. The control system includes one or moreprocessors configured to execute the machine-readable instructions to:(a) determine, based on the temperature data and the humidity data,whether the interior of the enclosed space is unsafe for the unattendedanimal, (b) determine, based on the physiological data, whether theunattended animal is within the interior of the enclosed space, and (c)based on the interior of the enclosed space being unsafe for theunattended animal, start a countdown timer when the physiological dataindicates a presence of the unattended animal within the interior of theenclosed space.

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a systemfor calibrating one or more electronic devices for determining whetherunattended animals are in enclosed spaces is provided. The systemincludes a processor and a non-transitory computer readable mediumstoring machine readable instructions when execute facilitate performingthe steps of: (a) receiving temperature data and humidity data from theone or more electronic devices, each of the one or more electronicdevices for determining whether a respective one of the unattendedanimals is in a respective one of the enclosed spaces, the temperaturedata and the humidity data associated with interiors of each of theenclosed spaces; (b) training a machine learning algorithm to analyzethe temperature data and the humidity data to determine a temperaturethreshold and a humidity rate threshold, the temperature threshold andthe humidity rate threshold being thresholds for a respective one of theone or more electronic devices to generate an alert when the respectiveone of the unattended animals is in the respective one of the enclosedspaces; and (c) sending the temperature threshold and the humidity ratethreshold to the one or more electronic devices.

According to some implementations of the present disclosure, a methodfor determining whether an unattended animal is left in an enclosedspace is provided. The method includes generating temperature data andhumidity data associated with an interior of the enclosed space andgenerating physiological data associated with the unattended animal. Themethod further includes determining, based on the temperature data andthe humidity data, whether the interior of the enclosed space is unsafefor the unattended animal. The method further includes determining,based on the physiological data, whether the unattended animal is withinthe interior of the enclosed space. The method further includes based onthe interior of the enclosed space being unsafe for the unattendedanimal, starting a countdown timer when the physiological data indicatesa presence of the unattended animal within the interior of the enclosedspace.

The foregoing and additional aspects and implementations of the presentdisclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art inview of the detailed description of various embodiments and/orimplementations, which is made with reference to the drawings, a briefdescription of which is provided next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages of the present disclosure will becomeapparent upon reading the following detailed description and uponreference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an environment where an unattendedlifeform can be detected according to some implementations of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a system for detecting unattendedlifeforms in an enclosed space according to some implementations of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for detecting unattendedlifeforms according to some implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an example graph showing temperature, heat index, and humidityinside a car; and

FIG. 5 provides graphs showing measurement results inside and outside acar.

While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific implementations have been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. Itshould be understood, however, that the present disclosure is notintended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, thepresent disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system including sensorsand a processor for detecting whether an individual and/or an object isleft unattended in an enclosed space (e.g., a vehicle). The system canmeasure humidity, temperature, sound, motion, and so on, to determinewhether the individual is left unattended. An enclosed space can bedangerous to an individual, especially when the enclosed space is avehicle out in the elements. For example, when a car is left unattended,the car is a closed system with a different level of humidity comparedto its environment. On a hot day, heat can evaporate humidity inside thecar, and the inventor has discovered that humidity can dropprecipitously even when a breathing individual is inside the vehicle(with all windows rolled up). For example, humidity inside the car dropbetween 5% to 10% within 15 to 30 minutes. For a 1% humidity, air in thecar, at this level of humidity when combined with temperature inside thecar, is comparable to breathing fire.

The temperature-humidity combination can be deadly, as describedregarding to air being breathed in by the unattended individual. Heatindex captures the effects of humidity on temperature. Heat index isusually quoted as the “feels like” temperature. The “feels like”temperature captures how hot a biological animal will perceive a certaintemperature level when humidity is factored in with actual airtemperature. For example, actual air temperature when measured can read84° F., but when humidity of 70% is factored in, the heat index or“feels-like” temperature is 90° F. That is, 84° F. under 70% humidityfeels like 90° F. Effect of temperature on a biological animal can bebetter captured by heat index because heat index provides a measure ofhow the biological animal perceives the temperature.

Although the combination of temperature and humidity is discussed,temperature alone (whether quoted as heat index or actual airtemperature) can be deadly to the individual because if temperature inan enclosed car becomes too high, an unattended individual can sufferheatstroke due to her body's temperature-regulating mechanism failing ina high temperature environment. Furthermore, high temperatures can leadto cell death and organ failure. An unattended individual in a car isnot only in danger from the car being left out on a hot day, but theunattended individual can be in danger on a cold day as well. Theunattended individual can suffer from hypothermia, frostbite, etc.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods fordetermining whether an individual is left unattended in a vehicle so asto avoid aforementioned dangers to the individual. For higher impact andsupport of legacy systems and older model vehicles, embodiments of thedisclosure provide an electronic monitoring device including one or moresensors that can be installed in a vehicle to monitor unattendedindividuals. The electronic monitoring device can be self-contained,running on an auxiliary power source or including a backup power sourceseparate from the vehicle, to prevent a situation where turning off thevehicle's engine renders the electronic monitoring device useless.Additionally, the electronic monitoring device can be tamper-proof, thuspreventing a caretaker, a nanny, or some other person from temporarilyturning off the electronic monitoring device.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an environment 100 where anunattended lifeform 108 (e.g., an unattended animal) can be detected inan enclosed space 102, according to some implementations of the presentdisclosure. The unattended lifeform 108 is dotted to indicate that insome cases, the unattended lifeform 108 is not present in the enclosedspace 102. The unattended lifeform 108 can be a child, an infant, anelderly person, a person with a disability or functional impairment, apet, etc. The enclosed space 102 can be a vehicle, a greenhouse, astorage unit, a closet, etc. forming an enclosure that is generallysealed or closed from the outside environment. For example, a vehiclewith all the windows rolled up or even one window cracked slightly openis not a completely hermetically sealed environment, so the term“enclosed” is not intended to convey a completely hermetically sealedenvironment.

The unattended lifeform 108 can be detected using one or more electronicmonitoring devices (e.g., electronic monitoring devices 104 a, 104 b).The electronic monitoring device 104 a is provided within the enclosedspace 102, and the electronic monitoring device 104 b is providedoutside the enclosed space 102. Although shown as two devices, in someembodiments, only the electronic monitoring device 104 a is provided forsensing whether the unattended lifeform 108 is present within theenclosed space 102.

In some embodiments, the electronic monitoring device 104 a is providedfor sensing whether the unattended lifeform 108 is present within theenclosed space 102, and the electronic monitoring device 104 b includesadditional sensors for augmenting sensing of the electronic monitoringdevice 104 a. For example, the electronic monitoring device 104 aincludes a motion sensor to determine whether the unattended lifeform108 is moving within the enclosed space 102. The motion sensor can be aninfrared sensor or other imaging device. The electronic monitoringdevice 104 b can include a camera pointed at the enclosed space 102 forcapturing movement within the enclosed space 102. In someimplementations, the electronic monitoring device 104 a and theelectronic monitoring device 104 b are part of a mesh sensor networksuch that data can be captured and recorded by the electronic monitoringdevices 104 a, 104 b simultaneously. Simultaneous capturing andrecording of data minimizes temporal noise effects in the data betweenthe electronic monitoring devices 104 a and 104 b so that instantaneousmeasurements from each of the electronic monitoring devices 104 a and104 b have a same timestamp.

Each of the electronic monitoring devices 104 a, 104 b can include oneor more sensors, one or more memory devices, and one or more processorsfor generating data associated with the environment 100 and theunattended lifeform 108. The electronic monitoring device 104 a can bedifferent from the electronic monitoring device 104 b, having differentsensor, processor, and/or memory configurations. For example, theelectronic monitoring device 104 a can include a humidity sensor whenthe electronic monitoring device 104 b does not.

In some embodiments, the electronic monitoring devices 104 a, 104 b cancommunicate with a remote server 106. The remote server 106 can be acloud server with access to computer programs for receiving sensing datafrom the electronic devices 104 a, 104 b and determining whether theunattended lifeform 108 is present in the enclosed space 102. In someembodiments, the electronic monitoring device 104 b sends measured datato the electronic monitoring device 104 a, and then the electronicmonitoring device 104 a sends measured data collected from both theelectronic monitoring device 104 a and 104 b to the remote server 106.

In some embodiments, the remote server 106 or the electronic monitoringdevice 104 a can send a distress signal or a warning or alarm signalsuch as a push notification to a guardian mobile device 110. Theguardian mobile device 110 is a mobile device of a caretaker, aguardian, a parent, etc. Example mobile devices include a smart phone, acellphone, a tablet, a smartwatch, etc. The distress signal or warningsignal can alert the guardian mobile device 110 that the unattendedlifeform 108 is present in the enclosed space. The guardian mobiledevice 110 is a computing device with a processor, memory, and networkinterface that can receive the distress signal or warning signal toalert the guardian of the unattended lifeform 108 of FIG. 1 via textmessage, email, push notification, phone call, or the like.

In some embodiments, the remote server 106 or the electronic monitoringdevice 104 a can alert emergency services 112 if the guardian mobiledevice 110 does not respond within a certain timeframe. The emergencyservices 112 include 911 dispatchers, hospitals, police, firedepartments, businesses proximate to the enclosed space, etc.

Referring to FIG. 2 , a block diagram of a system 200 for detectingunattended lifeforms in an enclosed space according to someimplementations of the present disclosure is provided. To simplifydiscussion, the singular form will be used for components identified inFIG. 2 when appropriate, but the use of the singular does not limit thediscussion to only one of each such component. The system 200 includesan electronic monitoring device 202. The electronic monitoring device202 can represent (1) a combination of the electronic monitoring device104 a and the electronic monitoring device 104 b, or (2) the electronicmonitoring device 104 a. The system 200 further includes a sensor 210.The sensor 210 can be one or more sensors located in the electronicmonitoring device 202, one or more sensors located in the enclosed space102, one or more sensors located outside of the enclosed space 102, orany combination thereof.

The sensor 210 can include one or more microphones, one or more GlobalPositioning System (GPS) receivers, one or more infrared cameras, one ormore speakers, one or more radar sensors, one or more clocks, one ormore motion detectors, one or more lux meters, one or more gas sensors,or any combination thereof. The sensor 210 is configured to generatedata associated with the enclosed space 102. For example, the sensor 210can generate temperature data and humidity data indicating temperatureand humidity, respectively, within the enclosed space 102. The sensor210 can also generate physiological data associated with the unattendedlifeform 108. The physiological data can include, for example, movementof the unattended lifeform 108, sound coming from the unattendedlifeform 108, or any combination thereof.

The system 200 can further include a remote server 220. The remoteserver 220 is similar to or the same as the remote server 106. Theremote server 220 is configured to receive data generated by the sensor210. The remote server 220 can receive the generated data from theelectronic monitoring device 202. The remote server 220 is configured toanalyze the generated data to determine whether the unattended lifeform108 is present in the enclosed space 102. In some embodiments, theelectronic monitoring device 202 sends the generated data to the remoteserver 220 after the electronic monitoring device 202 determines thatthe unattended lifeform 108 is present in the enclosed space.

In some embodiments, the electronic monitoring device 202 sends thegenerated data to the remote server 220 using General Packet RadioService (GPRS). With GPRS, the electronic monitoring device 202 canperform direct cell communication with the remote server 220 and cansupport two-way communication. To manage power consumption in theelectronic monitoring device 202, packets can be sent to the remoteserver 220 at intervals. In an example, when the electronic monitoringdevice 202 is activated, packets are sent to the remote server 220,otherwise the electronic monitoring device 202 lies dormant and does notcommunicate with the remote server 220.

In some embodiments, the remote server 220 is configured to send data tothe electronic monitoring device 202. For example, the remote server 220can send calibration settings and algorithms to the electronicmonitoring device 202. An example of an algorithm that can be sentincludes a method for the electronic monitoring device 202 to combinedata generated by the sensor 210.

The system 200 can further include a third party device 230. The thirdparty device 230 is similar to or the same as the guardian mobile device110 or the emergency services 112. The electronic monitoring device 202and/or the remote server 220 is configured to alert the third partydevice 230 when the unattended lifeform 108 is present in the enclosedspace. In some implementations, the third party device 230 includes asmart speaker, a smart television, etc.

The system 200 further includes a memory 280. The memory 280 can includeone or more physically separate memory devices, such that one or morememory devices can be coupled to and/or built into the electronicmonitoring device 202, a control system 290, the remote server 220and/or one or more external devices (e.g., mobile phones, computers,servers, cloud based devices, etc.) wirelessly coupled and/or wired tothe system 200. The memory 280 can be a non-transitory computer readablestorage medium on which is stored machine-readable instructions that canbe executed by the control system 290 and/or one or more othercomponents of the system 200. The memory 280 is also able to store thedata generated by the sensor 210. In some implementations, the memory280 includes non-volatile memory, static random access memory (RAM),EEPROM memory, flash memory, database storage, or any combinationthereof.

Like the memory 280, the control system 290 can be coupled to theelectronic monitoring device 202 and/or the remote server 220. Thecontrol system 290 is coupled to the memory 280 such that the controlsystem 290 is configured to execute the machine-readable instructionsstored in the memory 280. The control system 290 can include one or moreprocessors and/or one or more controllers. In some implementations, thecontrol system 290 is a dedicated electronic circuit. In someimplementations, the control system 290 is an application-specificintegrated circuit. In some implementations, the control system 290includes discrete electronic components.

The control system 290 is able to receive input(s) (e.g., signals,generated data, instructions, etc.) from any of the other elements ofthe system 200 (e.g., the sensors, etc.). The control system 290 canperform computations on the received inputs. For example, the controlsystem 290 can receive temperature and humidity data from a temperaturesensor and a moisture sensor of the sensor 210. The control system 290can determine heat index data from the received temperature and humiditydata. The control system 290 can provide output signal(s) to cause oneor more actions to occur in the system 200 (e.g., to cause theelectronic monitoring device 202 to send a distress or warning signal tothe remote server 220 and/or the third party device 230, etc.).

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a process 300 for detectingunattended lifeforms (e.g., the unattended lifeform 108) in an enclosedspace according to some implementations of the present disclosure. Atstep 302, the control system 290 (and/or the electronic monitoringdevice 202) receives temperature data and humidity data associated withan interior of the enclosed space. The control system 290 receives thetemperature data and the humidity data generated by the sensor 210. Thetemperature data includes temperature of the air in the interior of theenclosed space. The temperature data can also include temperature of theair outside of the enclosed space. The humidity data includes humiditywithin the interior of the enclosed space.

In some implementations, the control system 290 can receive other datapertaining to the enclosed space 102 that is generated by the sensor210. Examples of the other data include light data including luminousflux inside and/or outside of the enclosed space, a time of day, etc.Luminous flux can be determined using a photoresistor included in thesensor 210.

At step 304, the control system 290 (and/or the electronic monitoringdevice 202) receives physiological data associated with the unattendedlifeform 108. The control system 290 receives the physiological datagenerated by the sensor 210. The physiological data can include motiondata, sound data, or any combination thereof. A microphone can be usedto capture sound data, a motion detector or imaging system can be usedto capture the motion data.

At step 306, the control system 290 determines from the receivedtemperature and humidity data whether the interior of the enclosed space102 is unsafe for the unattended lifeform 108. In some implementations,the temperature of the interior of the enclosed space 102 is comparedagainst a temperature threshold. If the temperature of the interior ofthe enclosed space 102 is above a temperature threshold, then theinterior of the enclosed space 102 is determined to be unsafe. In anexample, the temperature threshold can be set at 90° F., 105° F., 115°F., 130° F., etc.

In an example, different temperature bands can be used based on timeexposure. For example, Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) and/or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)temperature guidelines can be used. Individuals under prolonged exposureto temperatures between 80° F. and 90° F. or individuals performingphysical activity under temperature conditions within the temperatureband of 80° F. and 90° F. can suffer from fatigue. Individuals underprolonged exposure and/or performing physical activity within thetemperature band of 90° F. and 105° F. can suffer heatstroke, heatcramps, or heat exhaustion. Prolonged exposure to temperatures withinthe temperature band encompassing 105° F. to 130° F. can result insunstroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion. Heatstroke or sunstroke canbe imminent when temperature is above 130° F. Although describedgenerally in terms of temperature, it is understood that heat indexvalues can be compared against the different temperature bands and/ortemperature thresholds.

In some implementations, at step 306, safety of the enclosed space canbe determined using humidity data. For example, the control system 290determines from the humidity data whether a rate of change of humidityin the enclosed space is below a humidity rate threshold. The controlsystem 290 calculates the rate of change of humidity from the humiditydata received at step 304. The humidity data can include humidity in theenclosed space at different timestamps. On a hot day, humidity insidethe enclosed space (e.g., a vehicle) can drop about 10% within 40minutes. The control system 290 can determine the drop in humiditywithin a certain time period to determine whether the rate of change ofhumidity satisfies the humidity rate threshold. Example values for thehumidity rate threshold include a 7% humidity drop within one hour, a10% humidity drop within 40 minutes, etc. A surprising result is thatthe humidity will actually decrease in a measurable way fairly rapidly,and this humidity drop (or rate of decrease) can used as a condition forraising an alarm, alone or in combination with a temperature changesatisfying a criterion or exceeding a threshold.

In some implementations, the control system 290 determines from thehumidity data whether humidity in the enclosed space is below a humiditythreshold. The control system 290 can determine that humidity being toolow in the enclosed space is dangerous to the unattended lifeform. Insome implementations, the humidity threshold of about 25% humidity isused to determine that the enclosed space 102 is unsafe.

In some implementations, at step 306, safety of the enclosed space canbe determined using a deviation between actual temperature and heatindex. For example, if heat index within the enclosed space is 110° F.and actual temperature within the enclosed space is 88° F., then the 22°F. separation between the heat index and the actual temperature canindicate that the enclosed space is unsafe. A separation threshold canbe used to determine safety of the enclosed space such that when theseparation between the heat index and the actual temperature exceeds theseparation threshold, then the enclosed space is determined as beingunsafe. Example values for the separation threshold include 20° F., 30°F., 40° F., etc. In some implementations, a rate of change of theseparation between the heat index and the actual temperature and/orwhether the separation is increasing or decreasing is used to determinesafety of the enclosed space.

Although described separately, the different methods of determiningwhether the enclosed space is unsafe can be combined. For example, theseparation threshold can be combined with the temperature threshold suchthat when the separation threshold is used as a secondary considerationwhen determining whether the enclosed space is unsafe. That is, if thetemperature threshold is met, then the separation between the heat indexand the actual temperature is compared against the separation thresholdto determine whether the enclosed space is unsafe. In someimplementations, the separation threshold is combined with the humidityrate threshold to determine whether the enclosed space is unsafe. Forexample, if the humidity rate threshold is exceeded, then the enclosedspace can be determined to be unsafe once the separation threshold isalso met. In some implementations, if the humidity rate threshold isexceeded and the separation is determined to be increasing, then theenclosed space is determined to be unsafe.

In some implementations, other considerations can be combined with thetemperature data and the humidity data to inform on whether the enclosedspace is unsafe for the unattended lifeform. For example, the sensor 210can include one or more lux meters that provide light data includingluminous flux to determine an amount of light within the enclosed space.The control system 290 can combine luminous flux with a time of day todetermine whether the enclosed space is unsafe. If luminous fluxsatisfies a lux threshold during the afternoon, then the control system290 can determine that a being would be in greater danger. For example,if at least one of the lux meters in the sensor 210 registers lux valuesabove 10,000 lux, then the control system 290 can determine that theenclosed space is under daylight. If the at least one of the lux metersregisters lux values above 25,000 lux, then the control system 290 candetermine that the enclosed space must be exposed to direct sunlight.That is, at least one of the lux meters within the enclosed space isexposed to direct sunlight. Lux thresholds can be used to determinewhether to start the timer earlier. Earlier can be a minute earlier, twominutes earlier, five minutes earlier, etc.

At step 310, the control system 290 starts a timer based at least inpart on a presence of the unattended lifeform being detected in theenclosed space 102 and the interior of the enclosed space 102 beingunsafe. Motion data and/or sound data can be used to determine whetherthe unattended lifeform is in the enclosed space 102. For example, thesensor 210 can include a camera, a sonar sensor, a radar sensor, or anycombination thereof, that detects motion within the enclosed space 102.Detected motion within the enclosed space 102 is indicative of theunattended lifeform being in the enclosed space. However, the presentdisclosure can also detect a lifeform that is not moving, such as achild or pet that is napping, thanks to the humidity sensing strategiesdiscussed herein. Conventional systems that rely on motion will notdetect a still, sleeping lifeform.

In some implementations, the sound data can be analyzed to determinewhether the unattended lifeform is in the enclosed space 102. Forexample, the control system 290 can analyze sounds within the enclosedspace 102, and if the sounds in the enclosed space 102 satisfy a decibelthreshold, then the control system 290 determines that the unattendedlifeform is in the enclosed space 102. In some implementations, thedecibel threshold is set at 50 decibels, 60 decibels, 70 decibels, etc.The decibel range can be set to capture loud human voices which aregreater than 76 decibels. The decibel threshold can be set to captureheavy breathing which can be, for example, sounds greater than 15decibels. The sound data can be obtained from one or more microphonesincluded in the sensor 210. Again, advantageously, the presentdisclosure can detect any lifeform whether it moves or makes a sound. Asleeping child may not produce movements or sounds especially afterlosing consciousness, so conventional systems that rely on motion and/orsound will not detect such an event. The present disclosure can detectany lifeform present within an enclosed space regardless of whether thelifeform makes any sounds or movements. These additional sensors can beused to augment and enrich the criteria used by the system to determinewhether to raise an alarm.

In some implementations, the sound data can be analyzed to determinewhether the unattended lifeform in the enclosed space 102 is distressed.For example, the sounds in the enclosed space 102 are analyzed forscreaming patterns, yelling patterns, crying patterns, breathingpatterns, talking patterns, etc. The control system 290 can determine anattack, decay, sustain, and release (ADSR) profile for sounds in theenclosed space 102. For example, an ADSR profile for crying is differentfrom screaming, as such, in some implementations, the control system 290can start the timer based on the ADSR profile indicating that theunattended lifeform 108 is crying. The ADSR profile describes a soundenvelope over time from a beginning to an end. The sound envelope can beseparated into an attack duration, a decay duration, a sustain duration,and a release duration. Higher amplitudes of the envelope during theattack and the decay durations can be used to differentiate betweencrying and screaming vs. talking. For example, the amplitudes of theenvelope during the attack and decay durations for crying and screamingwill be greater than the amplitudes of the attack and decay durationsfor talking. The sustain duration for crying and screaming will begreater than the sustain duration for talking. In some implementations,the sustain duration is compared against a threshold (e.g., fiveseconds, six seconds, ten seconds, etc.), and when greater than thethreshold, the unattended lifeform is determined to be distressed. Insome implementations, the sounds in the enclosed space 102 are analyzedfor pitch, and based on the pitch indicating crying or distress, thecontrol system 290 can start the timer.

In some implementations, the control system 290 can use a gas sensorincluded in the sensor 210 to determine whether toxic fumes are releasedwithin the enclosed space containing the unattended lifeform. Forexample, cars have leather seats which can give up toxic fumes when in ahigh temperature environment. Data from the gas sensor indicatingpresence of toxic fumes or lower oxygen to carbon dioxide ratio can beused to further determine whether to start the timer.

At step 308, once the control system 290 starts the timer, theelectronic monitoring device 202 enters a high sampling region. Forexample, prior to the timer being started, the electronic monitoringdevice 202 may collect data (e.g., humidity data, temperature data,luminosity data, etc.) every minute, every two minutes, every thirtyseconds, etc. After the timer being started, the electronic monitoringdevice 202 may collect data with a higher sampling rate, for example,every five seconds, every ten seconds, every fifteen seconds, etc. Thehigh sampling region can last for about forty-five seconds, thus, if thesampling rate during the high sampling region is every fifteen seconds,then four measurements can be obtained during the high sampling region.

In some implementations, data obtained during the high sampling regionis compared against data captured prior to the high sampling region.That is, during the high sampling region, the control system 290verifies that the unattended lifeform is detected in the enclosed space102. For example, the motion and/or sound data obtained during the highsampling region is analyzed to determine that the unattended lifeform isdetected. The control system 290 also verifies that the interior of theenclosed space 102 is unsafe for the unattended lifeform. For example,temperature and/or humidity data is used to determine that the enclosedspace 102 is unsafe. Data obtained during the high sampling region canbe averaged to reduce noise in the data. Once validated, the controlsystem 290 can send an alert to the third party device 230 (e.g., acaregiver's device, an emergency worker's device, etc.). In someimplementations, if the control system 290 determines, during the highsampling region, that the unattended lifeform is not present in theenclosed space 102, then the control system 290 does not send out analert.

Temperature and humidity thresholds can be determined using machinelearning. The remote server 220 can interface with multiple electronicmonitoring devices (e.g., the electronic monitoring device 202) toobtain temperature data and humidity data from each of the multipleelectronic monitoring devices. For example, in a geographical regionwhere multiple neighbors are using the multiple electronic monitoringdevices, data from the different electronic monitoring devices can beused with a machine learning model to determine temperature and humiditythresholds. The remote server 220 can train a machine learning algorithmto analyze received temperature and/or humidity data to determine atemperature threshold, a humidity rate threshold, a temperature-heatindex separation threshold, or any combination thereof.

In some implementations, the remote server 220 can segment the multipleelectronic monitoring devices by geographical regions such that multiplemachine learning algorithms are trained to obtain multiple temperaturethresholds and multiple humidity rate thresholds. Respective temperaturethresholds and humidity rate thresholds being provided to electronicmonitoring devices based on their respective geographical region. Forexample, temperature conditions in Chicago during the summer aredifferent from temperature conditions in San Francisco during thesummer. Elevation can also be a factor to be considered. As such, usingmultiple machine learning algorithms for different geographical regionscan take into account other latent factors that may not be captured fromcomparing purely temperature data from one geographical region toanother.

FIG. 4 is an example graph 400 showing temperature, heat index, andhumidity inside an enclosed car over a span of about two days. Day 1data was collected from about 10:30 am to about 8 pm, and Day 2 data wascollected from about 4 am to about 11:59 pm. The graph 400 shows howheat index 402, temperature 404, and humidity 406 varies in the enclosedcar over the two days. The heat index 402 separates from the temperature404 during Day 1, illustrating that the “feels like” temperature in anenclosed space can be drastically different from measured temperature.It can also be observed that from around 2:40 pm to about 6:40 pm,temperature 404 and heat index 402 decrease, and humidity 406 increases.As humidity increases, separation between the temperature 404 and theheat index 402 decreases. On Day 2, from about 4 am to about 10 am,temperature 404 and heat index 402 track each other. On Day 2, fromabout 12:16 pm to about 5 pm, humidity 406 decreases as the separationbetween the temperature 404 and the heat index 402 increases.

FIG. 5 shows results from an experiment based on the environment 100 ofFIG. 1 . The experiment setup involved parking a Toyota Corolla (e.g.,the enclosed space 102) on a street in Mission Bay, Calif. The Corollahad a first sensor (e.g., the electronic monitoring device 104 a of FIG.1 ) placed between the passenger's seat and the driver's seat. Anothergood location for the first sensor can be within the compartment for thedome light in the ceiling of the car or the courtesy light that may bepresent in some vehicles between the B and C pillars above the reardoor. The first sensor was not exposed to direct sunlight. A secondsensor (e.g., the electronic monitoring device 104 b) was placed outsidethe Corolla. The first sensor and the second sensor are part of a meshnetwork. In the mesh network, the second sensor is connected to a cloudservice (e.g., the remote server 106), and the first sensor is connectedto the second sensor. The first sensor relays data to the second sensorwhich then provides data from both the first and the second sensors tothe cloud service.

The first sensor measured humidity, temperature, and heat index insidethe Corolla, and the second sensor measured humidity, temperature, andheat index of the environment outside the Corolla. The second sensor waswithin 20 ft of the Corolla. The first and second sensors included DHT22sensors manufactured by Adafruit Industries LLC for measuringtemperature and humidity. The first sensor included a passive infraredsensor for detecting a lifeform within the Corolla. The passive infraredsensor was a Panasonic inductive proximity sensor 0.13″ (3.3 mm) IP68module. A passive infrared sensor can detect lifeforms without the useof motion or sound. Heat flux can be measured using the passive infraredsensor so that even when an unattended lifeform (e.g., a child in thecar) is not moving, the unattended lifeform can be detected. Due toethical reasons, no pet, child, or animal was placed inside the Corolla.

FIG. 5 shows graph 500, providing results within the Corolla, and graph501, providing results of the environment outside the Corolla. Resultsshown in both the graphs 500 and 501 are from about 8:20 am (time T1) toabout 12:50 pm (time T4) during a single day. The graph 500 includesinside temperature 504, inside heat index 502, and inside humidity 506.A separation 514 between the inside temperature 504 and the inside heatindex 502 is marked. The graph 501 includes outside temperature 510,outside heat index 508, and outside humidity 512.

At time T1, the inside temperature 504, the inside heat index 502, theoutside temperature 510, and the outside heat index 508 are at about 75°F. At time T1, the inside humidity is about 40%, and the outsidehumidity is about 65%. Over times T1 to T4, the outside temperature andthe outside heat index rise from about 75° F. to about 100° F., and thehumidity falls from about 65% to about 35%. In contrast, over times T1to T4, the inside temperature 504 rises from about 75° F. to about 170°F., the inside heat index rises from about 75° F. to about 190° F., andthe inside humidity falls from about 40% to about 10%.

The graphs 500 and 501 illustrate that although conditions outside theCorolla may not seem unsafe, conditions inside the Corolla. At time T2,the inside temperature 504 and the inside heat index 502 are both about100° F. while the outside temperature 510 is about 88° F. Between timesT2 and T3, even though the outside temperature 510 increased only about10° F., the inside temperature 504 increased about 50° F., and theinside heat index 502 increased about 80° F. The separation 514 is shownto increase over the period T2 to T3 as the inside humidity 506decreases over the same period.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to one ormore particular implementations, those skilled in the art will recognizethat many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure. Each of these embodiments andimplementations and obvious variations thereof is contemplated asfalling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, which isset forth in the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for determining whether an unattendedanimal is left in an enclosed space, the method comprising the steps of:generating temperature data and humidity data associated with aninterior of the enclosed space; generating physiological data associatedwith the unattended animal; determining by a controller, based on atleast the temperature data and the humidity data indicating a decreasein humidity or a rate of decrease of humidity over a time period,whether the interior of the enclosed space is unsafe for the unattendedanimal; determining, based on the physiological data, whether theunattended animal is within the interior of the enclosed space, andbased on the interior of the enclosed space being unsafe for theunattended animal determined at least in part by the humidity dataindicating the decrease in humidity or the rate of decrease of humidity,starting a countdown timer when the physiological data indicates apresence of the unattended animal within the interior of the enclosedspace.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physiological data includesmotion data, sound data, or a combination thereof, the motion data andthe sound data associated with the unattended animal.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the control system is further configured to execute themachine-readable instructions to analyze the sound data to determine anattack, decay, sustain, and release (ADSR) profile and start thecountdown timer based on the ADSR profile indicating that the unattendedanimal is stressed.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sendingthe temperature data, the humidity data, the physiological data, or anycombination thereof, to a remote server when the countdown timer isstarted.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether theinterior of the enclosed space is unsafe for the unattended animalincludes: determining, based on the humidity data, whether humidityinside the interior is below a humidity threshold; and determining thatthe interior of the enclosed space is unsafe based on the humidityinside the interior being below the humidity threshold.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the generating temperature data and humidity dataincludes generating light data, the light data including luminous fluxinside or outside of the enclosed space, wherein the countdown timer isfurther started based on the luminous flux.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the countdown timer is further started based on the time of day.8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: increasing a data samplingrate for a sensor used to generate the temperature data and humiditydata from a first sampling rate to a second sampling rate, the firstsampling rate being below the second sampling rate based on thecountdown timer being started.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising verifying that the unattended animal is within the interiorof the enclosed space and that the interior of the enclosed space isunsafe for the unattended animal using the temperature data and thephysiological data generated by the sensor using the second samplingrate.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising causing a message tobe sent to a caregiver of the unattended animal based on verifying thatthe unattended animal is within the interior of the enclosed space. 11.The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the interior ofthe enclosed space is unsafe for the unattended animal includes:determining, based on the temperature data, whether temperature insidethe interior is above a temperature threshold; and determining that theinterior of the enclosed space is unsafe based on the temperature insidethe interior being above the temperature threshold.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the determining whether the interior of the enclosedspace is unsafe for the unattended animal includes: determining, basedon the temperature data, whether heat index inside the interior is belowa temperature threshold; and determining that the interior of theenclosed space is unsafe based on the heat index inside the interiorbeing below the temperature threshold.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein the determining whether the interior of the enclosed space isunsafe for the unattended animal includes: determining, based on thetemperature data, whether separation between temperature inside theinterior and heat index inside the interior is below a separationthreshold; and determining that the interior of the enclosed space isunsafe based on the separation being above the separation threshold. 14.The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the interior ofthe enclosed space is unsafe for the unattended animal includes:determining, based on the humidity data, whether the rate of decrease ofhumidity is above a humidity rate threshold; and determining that theinterior of the enclosed space is unsafe based on the rate of decreaseof humidity being above the humidity rate threshold.
 15. A vehiclehaving a control system configured to execute machine-readableinstructions to carry out the method of claim
 1. 16. The method of claim1, wherein the enclosed space is a vehicle, a greenhouse, a storageunit, or a closet.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the enclosedspace is the vehicle, and the vehicle has a window that is partiallyopen.
 18. The method of claim 2, wherein the motion data is captured byan infrared sensor, an imaging device, a motion detector, a sonarsensor, a radar sensor, or any combination thereof.